Long Beach Has the Best Parks in the Southland

Release Date: 2015-05-20

Yesterday we received some great news from the Trust for Public Lands. The Trust released its annual rankings of the nation's parks, called the ParkScore, and the City of Long Beach was ranked first in the Southland, and 18th overall out of 75 cities ranked! Long Beach also ranked first in Southern California for park access, size, and investment.

Parks are an incredibly important part of the quality of life for our residents. and that's why the City is continuing to invest in new parks and improvements for our existing parks. Parks provide important recreational opportunities, a place for after-school programs, green space, and a quiet refuge from city life.

I'm extremely proud of our Parks and Recreation Department and the great parks we have in Long Beach. I'm committed to adding more park space throughout the city, and to improving the parks we have now - some of which do need additional maintenance and care.

In the next few years, we will open Gumbiner Park across from the Museum of Latin American Art, and we will begin work on the huge Drake-Chavez Greenbelt, which will add many acres of park to the Westside, revitalize the LA River, and provide a green barrier between our neighborhoods and the 710 freeway. We will also see a new playground and other enhancements at Bixby Park, and many other park improvements throughout the city.

I invite everyone to spend some time in one of our nationally renowned parks today.